22 Homely TV Characters You Won't Recognize With Makeup In Real Life

The characters in TV shows like "Downton Abbey" and "The Big Bang Theory" has garnered many fans. Most of them look very plain on the screen. However, in real life, these actresses are actually mind-blowing gorgeous. Here are 22 actors and actresses who look strikingly different from their screen characters. Just don't be too surprised!

1. Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big Band Theory"

Amy Farrah Fowler, a brainy scientist on The Big Bang Theory played by Mayim Bialik, looks plain all the way. The character wears minimal makeup and is always in "matchy-matchy" and loose clothes.

Mayim Bialik In Real Life

Off screen, however, Mayim Bialik looks classy and modest. She is also an outspoken feminist and a proud Jewish woman. Mayim can glam it up with both beauty and brains.

2. Bernadette Rostenkowski on "The Big Bang Theory"

Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, another scientist on The Big Bang Theory played by Melissa Rauch, may look like a sweet, friendly blonde girl, but she is actually super nerdy.

Melissa Rauch in Real Life

In real life, however, Melissa Rauch errs more on the side of glam. She looks absolutely gorgeous on the cover of Maxim and is not afraid to show off a little cleavage on the red carpet.

3. Arya Stark on "Game of Thrones"

Maisie Williams' role as Arya Stark on Game of Thrones is a tomboyish young girl, who wears masculine haircut and muddy brown tunic. The character is often mistaken as a boy.

Maisie Williams in Real Life

While Arya is a total tomboy in the show, Maisie Williams, in reality, is a gorgeous 22-year-old girl. Having spent most of her early-life pursuing a dancing career, Maisie is pretty adorable and feminine. She also likes to glam it up on the red carpet.

4. Mrs. Hughes on "Downton Abbey"

"The key to Mrs. Hughes is no make-up, a rather unflattering wig and letting my eyebrows grow. Also high-definition TV is very unforgiving and hones in on every wrinkle," actress Phyllis Logan has said of her Downton Abbey character.

Phyllis Logan in Real Life

In her life off camera, Scottish actress Phyllis Logan radiates the same warmth and kindness of her TV character. She is also fashionable enough to get glammed up!

5. Daisy Robinson on "Downton Abbey"

Sophie McShera played a poor kitchen cook named Daisy Robinson on the British period drama Downton Abbey. To get into this character, McShera's face is stripped of any makeup, her air placed in a bonnet, and her petite frame hidden by a potato sack of a dress.

Sophie McShera In Real Life

But on the red carpet, with her blowout and designer duds, Sophie McShera looks more like a Crawley than a servant. As cute as a button, McShera is surprisingly gorgeous and polished.

6. Kate McKinnon On Saturday Night Live

On Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon plays many weird characters, and some of them have been downright ugly. She has the ability to play seemingly any character and make it look totally realistic. Just take a look at her spot-on Justin Bieber.

Kate McKinnon in Real Life

In her downtime off NFL, however, Kate McKinnon is far from ugly. On the red carpet, McKinnon usually rocks dewy makeup and loose, long blonde locks. If you saw her out on the street, you would probably stop and do a double take.

7. Frankie Heck On "The Middle"

On the TV show The Middle, Patricia Heaton plays a Midwestern mom with a sloppy appearance. The actress once admitted that she goes out of her way to make her character, Frankie, "a little bit frumpy."

Patricia Heaton in Real Life

Off screen, the 61-year-old lady scrubs up quite well. Patricia Heaton looks elegant and natural with a sweet smile and bright red hair.

8. Kimmy Schmidt on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"

On the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, actress Ellie Kemper plays the title character, who is often in colorful clothes such as a bright yellow sweater and hot pink pants. The costumes perfectly match the character's juvenile personality.

Ellie Kemper In Real Life

In real life, however, Ellie Kemper's style is much more glamorous and sophisticated. She can pull off almost anything!

9. Kitty Sanchez On “Arrested Development”

Kitty Sanchez was the ultimate dork in Arrested Development. She was the secretary of George Bluth and always fully devoted to the Bluth company and George himself.

Judy Greer In Real Life

In real life, Judy Greer is a stunning actress known for character roles. She has appeared in numerous films including The Descendants, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Planet of the Apes.

10. Steve Urkel On “Family Matters”

In many millennials’ childhood memories, Steve Urkel is known for his lovable nerdiness and a weird obsession with neighbor Laura Winslow.

Jaleel White In Real Life

Actor Jaleel White looked or acted nothing like the character in real life. After his success in Family Matters, he attended UCLA and got a degree in film and television in 2001. Over the years he has appeared in several films and TV shows. The recent news is that he will reprise his role as Urkel for the first time since 1998 in the upcoming 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.

11. Brienne of Tarth On Game of Thrones

In the show and the books, Brienne of Tarth is a force to be reckoned with but certainly not an attractive woman.

Gwendoline Christie In Real Life

Gwendoline Christie is no doubt a gorgeous woman in real life. Besides GOT, she has also portrayed First Order stormtrooper Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

12. Gregor Clegane On Game Of Thrones

Nicknamed “The Mountain”, Gregor Clegane is a ruthless warrior. After his battle with Oberyn Martell, Qyburn turned him into the ultimate zombie.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson In Real Life

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is a rather good looking man in real life. As a professional strongman, he is the first person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe's Strongest Man and World's Strongest Man in the same calendar year.

13. Margaret McPoyle On t’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Margaret McPoyle is the uni-browed member of the McPoyle family who is a deaf-mute and in n an incestuous relationship with her two brothers.

Thesy Surface In Real Life

The difference between the character and the actress is like night and sky. Besides acting, Thesy Surface also used to burlesque dance at different venues around LA.

14. Emily Malek In The Handmaid’s Tale

Dr. Emily Malek was a Handmaid assigned to Commander Deeds as Ofglen #1, Commander Scott as Ofsteven, Commander Roy as Ofroy, and Commander Lawrence as Ofjoseph #3, and joined an underground resistance named Mayday.

Alexis Bledel in real life

Alexis Bledel is an actress and model. Before The Handmaid’s Tale, she was most famous for her role as Rory Gilmore on the television series Gilmore Girls.

15. Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren On Orange Is the New Black

Suzanne Warren, also known as “Crazy Eyes”, is an inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. She is very emotional and often hits herself on the head when feeling upset or frustrated.

Uzo Aduba In Real Life

Uzo Aduba is a stunning actress in real life. For her performances in Orange Is the New Black, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

16. Count Olaf In A Series of Unfortunate Events

Marked by a unibrow and his tattoo of the V.F.D. eye on his left ankle, the evil Count Olaf is always plotting to get the Baudelaire Fortune.

Neil Patrick Harris In Real Life

Can you believe Count Olaf is played by the same actor who portrays Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother? Neil Patrick Harris is an actor known for his comedy roles. Besides the two shows mentioned, his performance in Doogie Howser, M.D. is also well received.

17. Betty Suarez On Ugly Betty

Although Betty Suarez is not exactly good-looking in the show and many people mock her for that, she does have a kind heart.

America Ferrera In Real Life

America Ferrera is a gorgeous actress in real life. For her portrait of Betty Suarez, she received a Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Primetime Emmy Award. Her other notable works include Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, End of Watch, etc..

18. Laura Moon On American Gods

Laura Moon is the deceased wife of the main character. She died in a car accident while hooking up with his husband’s best friend Robbie.

Emily Browning In Real Life

Emily Browning is a gorgeous actress with hazel eyes. She made a breakthrough in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Her other representative works include The Uninvited, Sucker Punch, and Sleeping Beauty.

19. Tiffany Doggett In Orange is the New Black

At the beginning of the show, Tiffany Doggett is extremely judgmental, bossy, and overall ignorant, but as the show progresses, her attitude has changed gradually and she is more sensible and rational.

Taryn Manning In Real Life

Taryn Manning is a gorgeous actress with a charismatic personality.

20. Sandor Clegane On The Game Of Thrones

Nicknamed “The Hound”, Sandor Clegane the younger brother of Gregor Clegane. He is a skilled soldier and is in lifelong rivalry with his brother.